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Blumstein DM, MacManes MD. When the tap runs dry: the physiological effects of acute experimental dehydration in Peromyscus eremicus. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246386. [PMID: 37921453 PMCID: PMC10714145 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Desert organisms have evolved physiological, biochemical and genomic mechanisms to survive the extreme aridity of desert environments. Studying desert-adapted species provides a unique opportunity to investigate the survival strategies employed by organisms in some of the harshest habitats on Earth. Two of the primary challenges faced in desert environments are maintaining water balance and thermoregulation. We collected data in a simulated desert environment and a captive colony of cactus mice (Peromyscus eremicus) and used lab-based experiments with real time physiological measurements; energy expenditure, water loss rate and respiratory exchange rate, to characterize the response to water deprivation. Mice without access to water had significantly lower energy expenditures and in turn, reduced water loss compared to mice with access to water after the first 24 h of the experiment. Additionally, we observed significant mass loss that is probably due to dehydration-associated anorexia a response to limit fluid loss by reducing waste and the solute load as well as allowing water reabsorption from the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Finally, we observed body temperature correlated with sex, with males without access to water maintaining body temperature when compared with hydrated males, whereas body temperature decreased for females without access to water, suggesting daily metabolic depression in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M. Blumstein
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Matthew D. MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
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2
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Brem EA, McNulty AD, Israelsen WJ. Breeding and hibernation of captive meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0240706. [PMID: 33970917 PMCID: PMC8109813 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hibernating mammals exhibit unique metabolic and physiological phenotypes that have potential applications in medicine or spaceflight, yet our understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of hibernation is limited. The meadow jumping mouse, a small North American hibernator, exhibits traits-including a short generation time-that would facilitate genetic approaches to hibernation research. Here we report the collection, captive breeding, and laboratory hibernation of meadow jumping mice. Captive breeders in our colony produced a statistically significant excess of male offspring and a large number of all-male and all-female litters. We confirmed that short photoperiod induced pre-hibernation fattening, and cold ambient temperature facilitated entry into hibernation. During pre-hibernation fattening, food consumption exhibited non-linear dependence on both body mass and temperature, such that food consumption was greatest in the heaviest animals at the coldest temperatures. Meadow jumping mice exhibited a strong circadian rhythm of nightly activity that was disrupted during the hibernation interval. We conclude that it is possible to study hibernation phenotypes using captive-bred meadow jumping mice in a laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan A. Brem
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Alyssa D. McNulty
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - William J. Israelsen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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3
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Milovic A, Bassam K, Shao H, Chatzistamou I, Tufts DM, Diuk-Wasser M, Barbour AG. Lactobacilli and other gastrointestinal microbiota of Peromyscus leucopus, reservoir host for agents of Lyme disease and other zoonoses in North America. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231801. [PMID: 32817657 PMCID: PMC7446861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cricetine rodent Peromyscus leucopus is an important reservoir for several human zoonoses, including Lyme disease, in North America. Akin to hamsters, the white-footed deermouse has been unevenly characterized in comparison to the murid Mus musculus. To further understanding of P. leucopus’ total genomic content, we investigated gut microbiomes of an outbred colony of P. leucopus, inbred M. musculus, and a natural population of P. leucopus. Metagenome and whole genome sequencing were combined with microbiology and microscopy approaches. A focus was the genus Lactobacillus, four diverse species of which were isolated from forestomach and feces of colony P. leucopus. Three of the species—L. animalis, L. reuteri, and provisionally-named species “L. peromysci”—were identified in fecal metagenomes of wild P. leucopus but not discernibly in samples from M. musculus. L. johnsonii, the fourth species, was common in M. musculus but absent or sparse in wild P. leucopus. Also identified in both colony and natural populations were a Helicobacter sp. in feces but not stomach, and a Tritrichomonas sp. protozoan in cecum or feces. The gut metagenomes of colony P. leucopus were similar to those of colony M. musculus at the family or higher level and for major subsystems. But there were multiple differences between species and sexes within each species in their gut metagenomes at orthologous gene level. These findings provide a foundation for hypothesis-testing of functions of individual microbial species and for interventions, such as bait vaccines based on an autochthonous bacterium and targeting P. leucopus for transmission-blocking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Milovic
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Khalil Bassam
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hanjuan Shao
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Ioulia Chatzistamou
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Danielle M. Tufts
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Maria Diuk-Wasser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alan G. Barbour
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Barbour AG, Shao H, Cook VJ, Baldwin-Brown J, Tsao JI, Long AD. Genomes, expression profiles, and diversity of mitochondria of the White-footed Deermouse Peromyscus leucopus, reservoir of Lyme disease and other zoonoses. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17618. [PMID: 31772306 PMCID: PMC6879569 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The cricetine rodents Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus are key reservoirs for several zoonotic diseases in North America. We determined the complete circular mitochondrial genome sequences of representatives of 3 different stock colonies of P. leucopus, one stock colony of P. maniculatus and two wild populations of P. leucopus. The genomes were syntenic with that of the murids Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these two Peromyscus species are sister taxa in a clade with P. polionotus and also uncovered a distinction between P. leucopus populations in the eastern and the central United States. In one P. leucopus lineage four extended regions of mitochondrial pseudogenes were identified in the nuclear genome. RNA-seq analysis revealed transcription of the entire genome and differences from controls in the expression profiles of mitochondrial genes in the blood, but not in liver or brain, of animals infected with the zoonotic pathogen Borrelia hermsii. PCR and sequencing of the D-loop of the mitochondrion identified 32 different haplotypes among 118 wild P. leucopus at a Connecticut field site. These findings help to further establish P. leucopus as a model organism for studies of emerging infectious diseases, ecology, and in other disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Barbour
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Hanjuan Shao
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Vanessa J Cook
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - James Baldwin-Brown
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Jean I Tsao
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Anthony D Long
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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Long AD, Baldwin-Brown J, Tao Y, Cook VJ, Balderrama-Gutierrez G, Corbett-Detig R, Mortazavi A, Barbour AG. The genome of Peromyscus leucopus, natural host for Lyme disease and other emerging infections. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaaw6441. [PMID: 31355335 PMCID: PMC6656541 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw6441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The rodent Peromyscus leucopus is the natural reservoir of several tick-borne infections, including Lyme disease. To expand the knowledge base for this key species in life cycles of several pathogens, we assembled and scaffolded the P. leucopus genome. The resulting assembly was 2.45 Gb in total length, with 24 chromosome-length scaffolds harboring 97% of predicted genes. RNA sequencing following infection of P. leucopus with Borreliella burgdorferi, a Lyme disease agent, shows that, unlike blood, the skin is actively responding to the infection after several weeks. P. leucopus has a high level of segregating nucleotide variation, suggesting that natural resistance alleles to Crispr gene targeting constructs are likely segregating in wild populations. The reference genome will allow for experiments aimed at elucidating the mechanisms by which this widely distributed rodent serves as natural reservoir for several infectious diseases of public health importance, potentially enabling intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D. Long
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - James Baldwin-Brown
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Yuan Tao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Vanessa J. Cook
- Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Alan G. Barbour
- Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Ruscio MG, King SB, Kinley-Cooper SK, McKendrick G. Social environment affects central distribution of estrogen receptor-α in Peromyscus californicus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:81-87. [PMID: 30145237 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Social environment has well-established effects on an animal's social behavior and associated neuroendocrine responses. The presence of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in limbic system brain regions is related to the expression of a variety of social, reproductive and aggressive behaviors. We hypothesized that alterations to the social environment, specifically social isolation, would cause changes in ERα throughout the limbic system. The number of ERα immunoreactive (ERα-ir) cells within specific limbic system brain regions was quantified in male and female California mice (Peromyscus californicus), isolated or same sex pair-housed for 4 or 24 days. Peromyscus californicus is a highly social rodent species (monogamous and bi-parental) and therefore, may be particularly sensitive to manipulations of its social environment. Isolated males had a significantly greater number of ERα-ir cells in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and similar patterns within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and medial preoptic area (MPOA). Males housed for 24 days had a significantly greater number of ERα-ir cells in the BST, VMH, MPOA when compared with males housed for 4 days. Females housed for 24 days had significantly greater ERα-ir in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) when compared with females housed for 4 days. No differences were found in the medial amygdala (MeA). These data demonstrate that social environment has region and sex specific effects on ERα-ir cells in this species. These results add to the comparative evidence regarding ERα, demonstrating a consistent role for ERα in species specific responsiveness to changes in the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Ruscio
- Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29412, United States.
| | - S Bradley King
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Serena-Kaye Kinley-Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC 29425, United States
| | - Greer McKendrick
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC 29425, United States
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McCluskey K. Boosting Research and Industry by Providing Extensive Resources for Fungal Research. Fungal Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-27951-0_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Cook V, Barbour AG. Broad diversity of host responses of the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus to Borrelia infection and antigens. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:549-58. [PMID: 26005106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Peromyscus leucopus, the white-footed mouse, is one of the more abundant mammals of North America and is a major reservoir host for at least five tickborne diseases of humans, including Lyme disease and a newly-recognized form of relapsing fever. In comparison to Mus musculus, which is not a natural reservoir for any of these infections, there has been little research on experimental infections in P. leucopus. With the aim of further characterizing the diversity of phenotypes of host responses, we studied a selection of quantitative traits in colony-bred and -reared outbred P. leucopus adults that were uninfected, infected with the relapsing fever agent Borrelia hermsii alone, or infected after immunization with Lyme disease vaccine antigen OspA and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The methods included measurements of organ weights, hematocrits, and bleeding times, quantitative PCR for bacterial burdens, and enzyme immunoassays for serum antibodies against both the immunization proteins and cellular antigens of the infecting organism. The results included the following: (i) uninfected animals displayed wide variation in relative sizes of their spleens and in their bleeding times. (ii) In an experiment with matched littermates, no differences were observed between females and males at 7 days of infection in bacterial burdens in blood and spleen, relative spleen size, or antibody responses to the B. hermsii specific-antigen, FbpC. (iii) In studies of larger groups of males or females, the wide variations between bacterial burdens and in relative spleen sizes between individuals was confirmed. (iv) In these separate groups of males and females, all animals showed moderate-to-high levels of antibodies to KLH but wide variation in antibody levels to OspA and to FbpC. The study demonstrated the diversity of host responses to infection and immunization in this species and identified quantitative traits that may be suitable for forward genetics approaches to reservoir-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Cook
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Alan G Barbour
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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